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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783408">The thing with Rooks and Pawns</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Springflower_1409/pseuds/Springflower_1409'>Springflower_1409</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Family, Misunderstandings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:06:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,228</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25783408</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Springflower_1409/pseuds/Springflower_1409</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elain Archeron &amp; Azriel, Elain Archeron/Azriel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>43</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The thing with Rooks and Pawns</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Why must everything be so boring?</em>
</p><p>Cassian thought as he stroled around the empty kitchen, taking one of Elains newest cupcakes from the cream white kitchen counters. No one sat in the living room as he entered and looked outside of the window.</p><p>He groaned in annoyence, it was pouring outside. Elains garden was in full bloom and everything would have beamed from color, if it wouldn't have been for the dark clouds that but a grey layer on everything.</p><p>Training wasn't a possibility since it was pouring and neither Rhys nor Az were found anywhere in the house. The commander already checked on that -well at least at the parts where he dared to go.</p><p>The top three places in the house where he would never go started with Rhys and Feyres bedroom. The sheer thought of interupting them made him shiver. As much as he teased them, as gratefull had he been that he didn't walk in on them while they were having their fun. Unlike the pure and innocent Elain who had thought of nothing bad as she entered the kitchen one morning and wanted to make some scrambled eggs with ham for everyone, but instead of eggs and ham -she found a wildly kissing Feyre and Rhys on the counters. Flour and frosting as well as some butter the only thing covering their bodys.</p><p>Even though it shouldn't be that funny, Cassian found it indeed very funny. Seeing the pale face of the seer that day. That didn't step a foot in the kitchen for the next week and only tended to her garden together with the shadowsinger. When she first entered the kitchen again -Azriel was by her side- as she shouted "I'm coming in!" the whole family was gathered in the living room -expect for Elain and Azriel. Mor wondered aloud why she did that and Feyre and Rhys only shared a guilty glance at each other. </p><p>The commander couldn't hold back a chuckle at that. </p><p>That tradition of her shouting "I'm coming in!" became regular to everyone. She even did that when it was night and everyone was asleep -normaly. But with that she already woke up Azriel more than once. The shadowsinger, who would have cut everyone else a head shorter if they would have woken him up in the middle of the night, supported her well durning her trauma. </p><p>But with that it wasn't enough. The seer was -even moths after that incident- not able to look her brother in law and her sister straight in the face.</p><p>Cassian still chuckled at the memory. Wich the memory of the second place he hated the most caused to silence. </p><p>
  <em>The libary.</em>
</p><p>If Nesta wasn't there it was one of the places he couldn't stand at all. Everything was quiet and that bothered him.</p><p>A third place where he didn't like to be at in the house didn't really exist. </p><p>But what he hated was the quietness echoing in the rooms and hallways.</p><p>Just as he was about to sit down on the couch and wait for everyone to return from shopping, partys and mother knows what, he heared a thud from above of him. He looked up at he ceiling with raised eyebrows.</p><p>He thought he was alone. </p><p>But with the 'Thud!' coming from the room that was above him, he realized he wasn't and went up the stairs to see who hid from him in the house until now.</p><p>The hallway upstairs was dark and quiet, expect for a dark chuckle. A chuckle he rarely heared.</p><p>With curiosity taking the better of him he went to the door where it came from. A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed it came from the libary, but he was to curios to miss this.</p><p>On tip toes he went for the door and stoped infront of it, paying close attention to the conversation taking place inside.</p><p>"Az, please!" whined the sweet voice of the flower grower. Azriel only chuckled again.</p><p>"That's not fair! You have way more expirence than I have!" "You had a lot of time to practice." </p><p>A huff was heared. Cassian could already hear the grinn on Azriels face spreading. "I could have shown you how everything is done." </p><p>Cassian furrowed his eyebrows together <em>What in the mothers name is going on in there!?</em></p><p>Curios as the night court commander was -he kneelt down and tried to peek through the keyhole. It took him a lot of will power not to curse as nothing but blackness greeted him. Of course must the key be in the key hole!</p><p>He pulled frustraited at his hair. He really wanted to know what was going on inside there, but if he would turn the doorknob or try to open the door -they would notice him and stop with whatever they were doing or rather are doing.</p><p>After the little conversation they held, followed quietness, expect for the soft sighs and frustraited grunts of the seer and the dark chuckle that followed after.</p><p>Cassian suddenly paled as he slowly came to ralize what they are doing. Of all the places his brother could have taken the seer -he must choose the libary- that place in the house where the eldest Archeron spent most of her time in. If she would smell the things they did there. She would cut Azriels balls off if she ever was to find out!</p><p>Cassian grunted silently outside of the door. With this realization he should have gone and let them have their fun in peace, but someone needed to hold watch so that no one would accidantly walk in on them, right? So he stayed where he was. </p><p>The air outside of the door smelled like always, like old paper, ink and books. so maybe this scent would cover the smell of arousel inside of the libary too. As he payed his attention back to the conversation, or rather the noises that were heared inside, he heared a muffled moan from the seer. It sounded frustraited.</p><p>
  <em>What in the mothers name!?</em>
</p><p>He scrunched his nose, trying to find a change of scent in the air -nothing. But still did the moan irritate him. His brother sure as hell had a lot of explantion to do. </p><p>After all everyone only thought of them as very, very, very close best friends. No one really knew if they were dating ,since all the sweetness and soft gestures they exchanged through out the day were slowly starting to really, really irritate everyone. More than once held their hands softly on the one from their partner. And whenever Azriel came ack from a mission did sweet Elain already wait for him and wrapped him up in a soft, but meaningfull hug the moment he set foot on the ground. Those hugs always held for longer than just a <em>'Welcome back' </em>hug.</p><p>Cassian noticed too, that whenever Azriel was forced, because of a mission, to stay away from the seer for some weeks, that he got grumpy the more time passt. And when he came back, they would both either found no where or in the company of each other.</p><p>"What are you doing here?" asked the voice of his High Lady from next to him. Cassian had a really big problem,with keeping his surprised jelp quiet. He shushed her and pointed towards the big double door that separated them from the two lovebirds. </p><p>Feyre rose an eyebrow in the dark, but winced as they heared a thud coming from the inside again. His friend looked at him scepticly, but a grinn spread on her face as she came to realize what is going on inside there.</p><p>"Az! I saw that and it's not fair!" whined the seer.</p><p>"I think it is and you can practice with such <em>unfair</em> actions. You never know what technique someone might use on you." again that grinn in his dark voice.</p><p>Feyres eyes windend and seemed like as if they wanted to become plates as she pushed Cassian aside of the keyhole and took a peek through it as well. Only to be greeted by the same darkness. A curse seemed to lay on her lips, but kept it quiet and asked inseat in a whispered voice.</p><p>"What do you think are they doing inside there?"</p><p>She took Cassians quietness as confirmation for what she thought. "That's new." She added.</p><p>The bulky commander almost chuckled. "For them maybe too."</p><p>Feyre rose again an eybrow at him as Cassian janked his head towards the door. "It sounds like our sweet, innocent gardener is rather unexpirenced in the ways of love."</p><p>HIs High Lady wiggled her eyebrows "You mean 'love making'." Cassian snorted silently, but they both fell quiet as they heared Elains whine.</p><p>"Please Az! Don't do this to me!"</p><p>A dark chuckle followed again "You should have come here better prepared. You knew that I was going to do this."</p><p>The seer  only answered with a frustraited sigh.</p><p>"Let me show you how it's really done." offered the shadowsinger with gentelness in his voice. "No I want to learn it for myself." and again silence. </p><p>Both, Cassian and Feyre went silent too. Their mouths going dry at the wild pictures than ran inside their heads, both didn't expect such an outcome. </p><p>Everyone knew that the seer and the shadowsinger shared a deep bond, but this ran deeper than anyone could have thought. Or at least it was expected that they would dance around each other for the next decade, but that they were coming straight to the point was something no one would have expected. </p><p>The rain pooring on the roof was everything that could be heared as Feyre suddenly started to chuckle. "The others wont believe us when we tell them about this." Cassian chuckled at that too. "You know, that dosen't convince anyone out of the Inner Circle that we don't like to gossip." Feyre shrugged "At least it's fun." </p><p>Cass wanted to relpy something at that, but from inside was again something heared. Something that made them question their gentle seer. "Mothers tits! Az!"</p><p>At that both Feyre and Cass couldn't take it anymore and opened the door to the libary. </p><p>The attention of the two suspected lovebirds turned their way as they entered.</p><p>Elaina face lightened up in the shine of the few candles, as she saw her sister and the bulky Illyrian. "Feyre! How was your art lesson today?" Feyre -still perplexed couldn't answer but only nod. </p><p>Right infront of the window sat Azriel and Elain. Between some candles and a table with a chess board between them. Az set down a white rook on his side of the board.</p><p>Cassian suspected that it belonged to Elain, since Azriel always played with black, if he ever did. Wich was rarely.</p><p>"What are you doing there?" "Teaching Elain a few chess leesons." </p><p>Now everything dawned to the night court commander and the High Lady. "And let me guess, you're about to win." A corner of the shadowsingers mouth turned up as he nodded. Elain huffed, her arms crossed over her cobalt blue gown as she leaned back in her velvety red cushioned chair. "How could I have known that you were going after my rook?" </p><p>"With calculating the next move of your opponent, sweetie."</p><p>Elain turned red and only mumbled. "I gave up on that already a while ago." Cassian wasn't sure if she only talked about the chess game or of the relationship with the shadowsinger. The hint of red on her cheeks made him guess for the second. And for the nickname.</p><p>Feyre smiled at her sister as she started to laugh histaricly. The commander didn't need long to join his High Lady. </p><p>The seer and the shadowsinger shared a conussed look, as their family laughed their lungs out and whiped their tears of laughter out of the cornors of their eyes.</p><p>The High Lady was the first to speak again -still sniffling from laughter. "How about Cass and I prepare some snacks and then we form two teams. I play in yours." Elain only nodded and let the two of them walk away.</p><p>"What do you think were they doing until now?" Az only shrugged "I don't know, but I know one thing for sure ..." Elain looked at him puzzled as she moved the pawn closer to the other side of the board -in hopes to exchange the pawn for her rook again. "What?" </p><p>Azriel smirked as he looked up at her through his lashes as he leaned down on the boared and moved his knight and chucked the pawn with it. "You lost your pawn and chance of victory." </p><p>Elain huffed, but didn't gave up and so until Cassian and Feyre returned they ended their game with Elain in checkmate. </p><p>The shadowsinger chuckled "Don't worry. You get a consolation prize." Before Elain could ask what it was, she felt Azriels soft lips on her lips, only a small brush, but it sent her high into the clouds. Even though she was flatered and bright red, she smiled at him as Azriel leaned back again. Already preparing the boared for the next rounds.</p><p>When Feyre and Cassian entered again they did not notice the smile that spread on the seers as well as the shadowsingers lips.</p>
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